1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Li Weiguo has been busy at Courtyard No. 90 these days, doing his best to help Li Xinchuang and his family settle down.

Compared with the courtyard house No. 90 where they had lived before, Courtyard No. 95 looked extremely simple.

The houses here are all old houses that were renovated after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and there are only three families living here in total.

The three main rooms allocated to Li Xinchuang's family had fallen into disrepair over the years, and the house was in a dilapidated state.

When Li Xinchuang first looked at the house, he wanted to just clean it up and move in.

After all, in his opinion, it was not easy for a family to have a place to live in the old city, and he never thought of being picky about anything.

However, Li Weiguo has longer-term considerations.

Because he knew that these three houses would eventually belong to someone, he naturally didn't want Li Xinchuang to just pack up and move in.

He stood in the middle of the room, his eyes slowly sweeping around, and sincerely suggested: "Uncle Xinchuang, if we move into this house like this, I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble in the future. Why don't we paint the inside first and then do some repairs. Otherwise, it will be difficult to start construction after we move in. You see, the wall is almost falling off. If a piece falls off one night and hits someone, it will be bad."

When Li Xinchuang heard this, he was slightly stunned, and his father Li Quandang's instructions to him instantly emerged in his mind.

"Xin Chuang, when you encounter problems, listen to Weiguo and his people's opinions. That kid has foresight, and his opinions will be good for you."

Thinking about how my family can now move from Lijia Village to Sijiu City, which of these changes and opportunities is not closely related to the help of Li Dajiang's family?

Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated and nodded decisively to show his agreement: "Weiguo, uncle listens to you. You have thought it through, and this house will be built according to your instructions."

So, Li Xinchuang listened to Li Weiguo's advice and gave up the plan of moving in immediately.

Li Weiguo followed Li Xinchuang and ran around, contacting craftsmen and purchasing materials, and was very busy.

He suggested adding partitions to the room where Li Xinchuang's children lived, and also asked Li Xinchuang to build a kitchen and bathroom.

From painting the walls to reinforcing the beams and pillars, from repairing the doors and windows to leveling the floor, these three rooms were renovated inside and out.

Li Xinchuang and Yang Huixian were also busy, helping to pass tools and clean up debris.

While directing the craftsmen, Li Weiguo said to Li Xinchuang, "Uncle, this wall needs to be polished. There are too many uneven spots, and it won't look good after painting."

Li Xinchuang responded: "Okay, Weiguo, I'll listen to you. You are a careful boy."

Yang Huixian smiled and said, "Weiguo, thanks to you, otherwise we really don't know what to do. Now that the house has been repaired, it's comfortable to live in."

This busy work lasted five days.

During these five days, the couple lived in the back house of the courtyard and had their meals in the Li family courtyard.

Li Dajiang's family treated Li Xinchuang and his wife like one of their own family, which made Li Xinchuang and his wife even more grateful to them.

Because Li Weiguo was on vacation, he helped Li Xinchuang to monitor the progress of the house renovation every day. He enjoyed being busy every day.

Finally, the house was renovated and the day of moving arrived.

Everyone worked together to move the furniture and daily necessities from Lijia Village to the new house.

When everything was put in place, the three rooms that were originally a bit shabby looked brand new and comfortable.

The house where Li Xinchuang and his wife live is located on the east side, warm and quiet.

The main room in the middle is spacious and bright. The sunlight shines through the windows onto the ground, forming patches of light and shadow.

The room on the west side was cleverly divided into two small rooms, which was just right for the brother and sister to live in.

The kitchen is built in the corner of the east wall. Although it is not big, it is fully functional.

The bathroom in the west corner adds a lot of convenience to the family's life.

Since Courtyard No. 90 is close to the public toilet, the trouble of building a separate toilet is avoided.

Li Xinchuang and Yang Huixian stood in the middle of the yard, looking around.

They seemed to have already seen the pictures of their future life here: in the early morning, the sun shines in the yard, the family sits in the main room eating breakfast, and laughter echoes in the yard.

Li Xinchuang said to Yang Huixian with a smile: "Huixian, let's live a good life here from now on. This yard is comfortable to look at."

Yang Huixian nodded and said, "Yes, thanks to Weiguo, we had the idea of ​​cleaning up the house."

"Also, we have to work hard and save money. Our father and Xinyan paid a lot for the thousand dollars to buy the job. We have to pay it back sooner or later!"

"Got it. I will always remember the kindness of my father and my brother-in-law!"

After Li Xinchuang and his family successfully moved into the newly renovated house, they set up two tables at home and invited Li Weiguo's family and Li Dahu's family to come over for a meal and celebrate.

After this, Li Weiguo became idle again.

Apart from staying at home with his family, he would meet with Wu Bo every day and trade some grain for antiques.

After all, the three-year famine would not end until the end of 1962. If they seized this opportunity, the benefits they could gain would be immeasurable.

On such a seemingly peaceful day, a letter from the post office, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, caused a thousand waves.

It was a sunny day and the postman rode his familiar green bicycle slowly into the alley.

"Li Weiguo, your letter!" The crisp shout broke the silence in the yard.

Li Weiguo's heart moved and he quickly stood up to greet him.

When his eyes fell on the handwriting on the envelope, his heartbeat suddenly quickened and an indescribable premonition came over him.

With trembling hands, he carefully opened the envelope. The thin paper seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hands.

When the big words "University Admission Letter" came into his sight, his eyes instantly became wet.

That was the polytechnic university he had always dreamed of, and the goal he had been striving for countless days and nights.

"I passed! I really passed!"

Li Weiguo was so excited that his voice was choked. He held the notice high up and cheered in the yard like a child.

This scene happened to be seen by neighbors passing by, and everyone gathered around, their eyes full of envy and congratulations.

"Weiguo, that's amazing! There's a college student in our alley!"

"This child has great potential. He will definitely achieve great things in the future!"

Praises came like a tide, but at this moment, Li Weiguo's heart was filled with the joy of his dream coming true.

It has always been his regret that he failed to go to university in his previous life, but in this life he finally passed the entrance exam after going through untold hardships. How could he not be excited?

When Grandpa Li and Grandma Li heard the noise, they hurried out of the house.

Tears sparkled in Grandma Li's eyes. She walked tremblingly to Li Weiguo, grabbed his hand and said, "Weiguo, I knew you could do it! The Li family's ancestral tomb is really smoking. It's not easy!"

Grandpa Li straightened his back, his eyes showing satisfaction and pride: "Great, great! Our Li family finally has a college student. Weiguo, you have brought honor to our Li family!"